Draco could tell just by thinking with his toes that this curse was by no means good. The loyal follower of Voldemort, risking being caught by Dumbledore, came to Hogwarts to mark him with the Dark Mark. The curse on the accessory they handed him couldn't be something as insignificant as causing a breakout of acne, right? It was surely lethal!
Bellatrix noticed the panic on Draco's face, but she didn't care. This was a direct order from the Dark Lord, and he had to follow it no matter what. If Draco refused, Bellatrix might even use the Imperius Curse to control him and force him to carry out Voldemort's tasks.
"So, who do I deliver it to?" Draco tremulously took the box, trying to understand who the target of Voldemort's task was.
"The Dark Lord didn't specify a clear target for this task. Do you understand, Draco?" Seeing her nephew looking a bit dazed, she decided to remind him, for her sister's sake, that he needed to think.
"The more important the person you kill, the higher your standing before the Dark Lord." Bellatrix stared into his eyes, stepped closer, and said, "Believe me, if you manage to kill Dumbledore, you'll receive unimaginable rewards, and your father will regain the Dark Lord's trust... For your father, for the ancient Malfoy family!" Bellatrix put her hand on Draco's shoulder and shook him forcefully, speaking almost hysterically.
"D-Dumbledore?" Draco was frightened by the name Bellatrix uttered. How could he possibly have the capability to kill Dumbledore? Could the accessory in the box really kill a wizard like Dumbledore?
He didn't believe it. This had to be a joke. Voldemort, do you really have that kind of power? If you do, why would you send a fifth-year wizard like me to do this? You don't have that ability!
Realizing that he had accidentally revealed his thoughts, Bellatrix also felt inappropriate. He was just a child; sending him to kill Dumbledore was undoubtedly too difficult a task. As she thought about this, she shifted her focus.
"I said it without thinking. You decide how to act. Even if you choose a common wizard, it's fine."
At the same time, to reinforce her persuasion, Bellatrix opened the box and revealed the accessory inside: a golden necklace with a small golden swan hanging from the end.
The accessory seemed harmless, but Bellatrix's expression was extremely serious.
"Don't touch the necklace with bare hands; it's deadly." She seriously warned her nephew. With her wand, she made the necklace spin twice in the air and then placed it back in the box. She then handed the box to Draco.
Draco trembled as if he had received a scorpion.
"As long as you don't touch the necklace, there won't be any problems." Bellatrix looked at Draco with a disdainful expression. To her, this family had very little courage.
Looking at the box in his hands, Draco muttered quietly, "Can I choose any wizard?"
For a moment, he felt tempted.
He could simply toss the box down a random staircase bathroom, and then wait for some unfortunate soul to fall into the trap. That way, maybe he could deceive Voldemort. That's how Draco thought about it.
From his perspective, this option wasn't entirely out of the question. It would be safe enough, and he wouldn't have to take many actions himself.
However, Bellatrix ruthlessly shattered Draco's fantasies.
"Choosing any wizard, of course you can." Her mocking expression made Draco feel uneasy. "But if you choose just 'anyone,' the Dark Lord won't be pleased."
Draco: ...
"If the Lord isn't pleased..." he cautiously asked.
"You'll have to carry out the task again," Bellatrix's words chilled Draco's heart.
Carry out the task again? That would be extremely difficult! People at Hogwarts who had already been attacked would surely be more vigilant, making it much harder for him to achieve his goal.
"Maybe I should find a victim for you..." Bellatrix licked her lips, and her eyes reflected a glint of bloodthirsty madness. "I recall there's a Muggle-born who's quite close to Tom Yodel. If you kill her, you'll have fulfilled your part, what do you think?"
"Hermione Granger?"
"It seems that's her name." Bellatrix nodded casually. This girl had been very active lately; she even appeared in the newspaper with Yodel during the holidays. If she were to be killed, it would surely cause chaos throughout Hogwarts and provide an opportunity for the Dark Lord's grand plan.
And the reason they didn't choose someone more famous like Yodel was that Voldemort still held out hope of recruiting him.
At that moment, Draco's heart was filled with fear.
It was Hermione Granger! Whether he succeeded or failed in the murder, his fate would be terrible. If he accepted this mission, he would be pitted against Tom himself, making an enemy of him.
Draco quickly weighed the pros and cons.
This task couldn't be accepted!
He would dare to assassinate Dumbledore, but not Hermione. Because Dumbledore was a good person, even if he failed in his attempt, Dumbledore wouldn't retaliate against him. But Tom was different; if Draco committed such an act, he would be sentencing himself to certain death with no escape.
"Alright, alright," Draco tried to stay as composed as possible, but inside, he was conflicted.
He had two options before him. The first was to leave the Hog's Head Inn and find Tom, telling him about Bellatrix's plan. If possible, he might even reveal her location to Tom, using Bellatrix as a bargaining chip, securing an escape route for himself.
The advantage was clear, but the risk was too great, as it would completely tie him to the Order of the Phoenix.
The other option was simply to follow Bellatrix's plan, but in case Tom found out, it would be wishful thinking to avoid ending up in Azkaban.
What to do? He couldn't keep postponing the decision.
"You seem to be indecisive," Bellatrix wasn't an easy person to deceive; she noticed that something was amiss with Draco and stared at him as if she wanted to read his mind.
"N-no... I-I just don't know what to do..." Draco felt his heart racing and gripped his wand even tighter.
"I see, there's a proper solution for that," Bellatrix gave Draco an idea.
"You can Confund others into delivering the necklace for you, so you won't expose yourself, you can hide in the shadows."
The advice sounded tempting to Draco. However, he didn't know how to use the Confundus Charm.
Upon hearing Draco's response, Bellatrix sighed.
"You don't know how? Well, I'll teach you... Pay attention... Imperius!" Bellatrix pretended she was going to teach him the Confundus Charm, but suddenly cast the Imperius Curse on Malfoy's forehead.
Draco's expression instantly became confused.
"All of you, always speak nicely, but when it comes to serving the Dark Lord, you all hesitate and refuse. Lucius is like that, Cissy is like that, and you too..." Bellatrix muttered quietly, resentment filling her eyes.
She couldn't understand why these people couldn't faithfully serve their master. Even her own sister showed indecision. It must be the weak influence of the Malfoy genes! Didn't she know about the Malfoy family's dirty past actions?
Bellatrix controlled Draco, gave him some orders, and then left the Hog's Head Inn using a Portkey.
Draco also left with an expressionless face, carrying the wooden box. He should return to Hogwarts according to Bellatrix's instructions and look for an opportunity to act.
"It's getting late; maybe we should head back to the castle," Dumbledore buried the food scraps in the ground and brushed the bread crumbs off his robe. He looked at Tom and Hermione with a playful tone, "Do you have any other plans? I want to remind you that Hogwarts has a curfew. If you plan on spending the night outside..."
"We won't!" Hermione stamped her foot on the ground, blushing.
"Really?" Dumbledore discreetly glanced at Hermione's black stockings and thought that her words didn't sound very believable.
"Of course," Tom said, "Professor, don't worry, we'll follow the school rules."
Despite Dumbledore's astonishing mental strength, he could hardly contain his laughter at that statement.
You, Tom Yodel, following the school rules? Do you not realize how many times you've been out of bed at night?
"Well, if you're sure..." Dumbledore cleared his throat, picked up the basket, and retrieved the picnic blanket from the ground. Then he gestured to Tom and Hermione, "I'll be heading back first."
"Professor, wait a moment, I forgot to mention one thing," Tom suddenly remembered he had something else to ask Dumbledore.
During the picnic, they were just chatting without discussing important topics. They talked about the feasibility of putting surveillance on Azkaban and the use of the Philosopher's Stone. But what Tom really wanted to ask hadn't been addressed yet.
"What is it?" Dumbledore turned to look at Tom calmly.
"What protective measures does Hogwarts have?" Tom looked curiously at Dumbledore.
"Protective measures?" Dumbledore was surprised by Tom's question. Hermione, who was standing beside him, couldn't help but interject and answer the question.
"Hogwarts has the Muggle-Repelling Charm and the Disillusionment Charm, and it can't be pinpointed on a map. To Muggles' eyes, Hogwarts is just a ruin, and there are signs saying 'Danger, Keep Out,' so when they approach, they think they have urgent business and quickly leave. All of this is in 'Hogwarts: A History,'" she gave Tom a look as if she thought he had asked a rather inappropriate question.
"And what about defensive measures for wizards?" Tom's concern was not the Muggles but potential enemy wizards.
Dumbledore: ...
To Tom, Hogwarts had always been deficient in terms of permanent defenses against wizards. The castle's vision has always been like the imagined enemy by the founders and successive headmasters, Muggles with ill intentions. Wizards, on the other hand, seemed not to be within their considerations. Even after Sirius Black's escape, despite the Ministry of Magic sending a large number of Dementors to block the entrances and exits of the school, they couldn't prevent Sirius Black from entering.
"You're still worried about Japan and the followers of the Death Eaters?" Dumbledore said in a low voice.
"Yes, according to the available information, haven't both factions joined forces already? And there's also the ghost roaming America, the Trackers. With these three mixed forces, it won't be easy to resolve the issue," Tom looked seriously into Dumbledore's eyes. "If they were to target Hogwarts, it would be a big problem."
"You're right," Dumbledore nodded, taking Tom's advice.
"I'll increase Hogwarts' protection level," he whispered quietly with his back turned. "Around Hogwarts is a defensive barrier against wizards, but it's not normally activated. When it's activated, it will deploy a powerful invisible barrier containing all kinds of ancient and challenging magical spells to break from the outside."
Activating this barrier would require a great cost, but Dumbledore believed it would be worth it, as he really didn't want Hogwarts to become a battlefield.
With the upgrade of the school's protection level agreed upon, Dumbledore left first. Tom and Hermione planned to continue wandering the street for a while before returning to the school.
As they walked aimlessly down the street, Tom noticed a golden flash in the corner of his eye. He turned his head, and indeed, it was Draco Malfoy.
Draco quickly passed by them, seemingly not having noticed their presence at all. However, as he passed by Hermione, Tom heard a pleasant tinkling of bells.
Tom raised an eyebrow; that bell-like sound seemed to be coming from the ankle bell he had given Hermione. She always wore it, even while bathing or sleeping. When the bell rang, it meant that someone with ill intentions was near her.
So, did Draco have ill intentions towards Hermione? How dare he?
"It seems our fellow Draco isn't as honest as we thought," Tom said, looking at Draco's back with coldness. "Daring to take an interest in you."
"I don't know what he's up to," Hermione frowned. Knowing that someone had ill intentions toward her but having to wait passively was not a pleasant feeling.
"Should we take action and eliminate him in advance?" Tom looked at Hermione and gave his proposal. In his view, why have a passive defense against enemies? It would be better to act decisively.
Hermione hesitated for a moment but ultimately shook her head.
"It's not necessary, after all, he hasn't done anything yet."